How to make brownie pops

One of the many culinary activities that I took part in during my trip to the Betty Crocker test kitchens was making brownie pops. Brownie pops are simple to make, lots of fun to decorate and – of course – lots of fun to eat. Kids love these, so it’s a good activity for them to help with and a big batch is sure to be a hit at a party. And although adults might say that the pops are for the kids, trust me when I say that any chocolate lover will be hard pressed to resist these.

Brownie pops are rectangular brownies stuck on popsicle sticks, dipped in chocolate and rolled in any topping you can think of, from sprinkles to shredded coconut. To make them, you will first need a batch of brownies. They work equally well with both homemade and packaged brownies, so take your pick when getting started (naturally, I’m going to recommend that you use homemade). Stick the brownies in the freezer for about an hour to let them chill and become firm enough to easily handle, then slice them into rectangles and push a popsicle stick into one end. You can make your pops large or small. I’d recommend cutting an 8 or 9-inch pan of brownies into 12 or 15 rectangles.

Next, melt some chocolate in a microwave safe bowl to dip the pops in. Use 2 tsp of butter or shortening for each cup of chocolate you use to make the chocolate silky. I used semisweet in the Betty Crocker kitchen, but dark and white chocolate will work well.

Finally, take the chocolate dipped brownie pop and dip it into the topping of your choice. Sprinkles are colorful and a perfect option for a kids party. Shredded coconut and chopped, toasted nuts add a lot of flavor and some nice texture. You can also simply dip the pops into more chopped chocolate! One of my favorite topping combinations is chopped white chocolate and macadamia nuts, but you can come up with all kinds of delicious combinations.

Place each dipped brownie pop onto a piece of wax paper to firm up. The chocolate will set quickly on the cold brownies. They’ll be ready to serve in minutes, or you can put them back into the freezer to eat later.